1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of exchanging user messages among interactive disk players through a server.
2. Description of the Related Art
As recording media technology advances, high-density optical disks capable of recording large amounts of digital data have become available, which allows easy distribution of digital contents using the digital recording media.
The standardization of interactive disks, wherein auxiliary data related to the playback of A/V data recorded on a disk (control or additional information referred to as ENAV data) is recorded on the same disk as html (hyper-text markup language) or jpeg data files and at the request of a user the ENAV data is reproduced along with the related A/V data, has been progressing rapidly. It is expected that the standardization of such interactive disks will promote the distribution of digital contents.
Users watching interactive disks storing the same title may possibly desire to exchange opinions regarding the title. In this perspective, it is necessary to support the exchange of user messages among interactive disk players through a server.
To allow the exchange of opinions, enquiries, and responses about the same title, it is required that the playback position of the disks that are being played by individual players be identical. In other words, the playback of the interactive disk players needs to be synchronized.
To this end, the disk player of a new user who does not belong to a group of users who simultaneously started the playback of a title under the control of a server should play the title from the playback position of the user group based on playback position and time information provided by the server, not from the beginning.
The synchronized playback of the title makes it possible for the users to exchange messages regarding the scene that is being currently played but the new user should skip some part of the title for the synchronization.